Ahead of Eid al-Adha, NTB Requires Additional Cattle Transport Ships

The West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) provincial government has sent a letter to the Ministry of Transportation requesting an increase in sea transport capacity, following the high volume of cattle shipments to the Jabodetabek region ahead of Eid al-Adha, reaching around 20,000 head. NTB provincial government spokesperson Ahsanul Khalik stated that the limited availability of sea transport modes, particularly ships for carrying trucks and lorries, is the main challenge in distributing the livestock. “So the issue of congestion at ports is actually a problem that almost happens every year. However, in 2026, the government has taken various anticipatory steps from the beginning to minimise this,” he said on Wednesday (15/4/2026). Ahsanul explained that the shipment density occurs not due to system management failures, but rather the simultaneous convergence of two major logistics flows: livestock and agricultural products. To anticipate this, the NTB provincial government formed the 2026 Integrated Task Force for Sacrificial Animal Traffic through NTB Governor’s Decree Number 100.3.3.1-127 of 2026. “This task force involves the provincial government, regencies/cities, vertical agencies, and livestock breeder associations, regulating the issuance of recommendations, permits, and veterinary certificates on a scheduled basis to avoid simultaneous shipments,” he said. In addition, the NTB provincial government has limited the maximum number of shipments to 20 trucks or lorries per regency/city per day. This policy is adjusted to the ship schedule via Gili Mas Port and Lembar Port. “We are educating farmers and business actors to adjust shipment times to ship availability and ensure field services,” he said. The NTB provincial government has also prepared veterinarians and drinking water provision through support from BPBD and Quarantine to ensure smooth livestock shipments. “So we are writing to the Republic of Indonesia’s Ministry of Transportation for additional vessel fleets via Lembar/Gili Mas Ports as well as optimising sea toll routes via Bima Port,” he said. These efforts continue to be pursued even though the fleet addition is not yet fully optimal. “So the local arrangements are still running well,” he said. Ahsanul assured that this year’s livestock distribution is proceeding safely and under control, without significant impact on farmers. “Alhamdulillah, with cooperation from all parties, the livestock shipment process is running smoothly. This is an indicator that the system we have built is on the right track,” he said. The NTB provincial government hopes this achievement can be maintained and improved in the coming years, while strengthening NTB’s position as a national livestock producing region. He added that NTB, as one of the national livestock granaries, has a strategic role in providing sacrificial animals every year. “We are committed to ensuring livestock distribution runs better every year, while maintaining market trust in NTB as a national livestock granary,” he concluded.